Sol Marron's Righteous Indignation...

Amid the jeers, Sekke had yet to react when his body suddenly stiffened, before he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

After Asta's Demon-Dweller Sword shattered the magic,

it came crashing down, smashing Sekke flat onto the ground like a boneless shrimp as blood sprayed from his mouth.

Sekke simply could not understand it. His Bronze Creation Magic clearly possessed such powerful defensive strength, yet it had failed to block even a single move from Asta.

And wasn't that guy just absurd?

Leaving aside how much strength it took to swing a giant sword as large as a door panel,

the instant disappearance of his magic filled him with utter despair.

As he lay crushed against the ground, even the earth beneath him began to crack.

At that moment, Sekke was even somewhat grateful.

Fortunately, Asta had not struck his head. Fortunately, his Bronze Creation Magic had not been completely useless and had made him a suit of armor. Otherwise, he would likely have been smashed into pulp.

Asta's one-strike victory immediately left everyone around him stunned.

When they looked at the white-haired Asta again, those who had laughed loudly before all shut their mouths.

This guy really was a freak.

Nearby, Yuno naturally began using Wind Magic.

He faced off against a noble.

As a resident of the Forsaken Realm, he had never been particularly welcome in the Royal Capital.

What was more, the "elegant aura" Yuno naturally carried provoked some shallow-minded people even further. As nobles, their own elegant bearing was actually inferior to Yuno's. How could they possibly accept that?

Thus, Yuno and his opponent began fighting almost instantly.

But a Four-leaf Clover was still a Four-leaf Clover.

Even though Yuno had awakened rather slowly and had only learned one spell so far, Breath of Wind, he remained completely unfazed when facing his opponent.

The wind seemed to take shape in Yuno's hands, continuously slashing and spinning, gradually wearing his opponent down.

The battles around them quickly spread in every direction, while the gazes of the various Knights captains continuously swept across the field.

Among everyone present, the captains had gained a general understanding of each person's abilities almost instantly.

Gold would shine sooner or later.

Especially in a setting like this, how could violent fluctuations of magic power fail to draw attention?

The Knights captains above had already begun choosing their preferred candidates.

Yet among all those figures, one person stood alone, appearing especially distinct.

No, it would be more accurate to say that no one dared approach him at all.

That person was naturally Carl.

Whether they were fighting one-on-one or in groups of three, no one chose Carl.

And the ultimate reason for all this was naturally the terrifying power Carl had displayed earlier.

Was this a joke?

A guy who could create a sonic boom just by throwing a magic broom;

a person who could finish a round in barely a few breaths.

Even if they truly faced him, everyone feared that before they could even use their magic, Carl would already kill them in a single blow.

What was more, he had not even used his Grimoire.

Asta was already strange enough, possessing a Grimoire despite having no magic power.

Then just how strange was Carl?

Furthermore, the three of them had come together. Judging from Asta and Yuno's performances, Carl was clearly the strongest among them.

The others were not idiots either. No one was willing to pull a tiger's teeth.

Thus, this bizarre scene formed before them.

Numerous figures looked toward Carl, who stood in the very center, yet there was not a single person around him. As though they had reached an unspoken agreement, everyone deliberately avoided Carl in the center while fighting.

Several Knights captains exchanged looks.

William Vangeance felt a headache coming on when he looked at Carl as well.

Why did this guy have to stand out so much?

At that moment, Charlotte of the Blue Rose Knights was staring intently at Carl.

It was as if a fierce struggle were taking place within her heart.

Sol Marron, standing beside her, noticed Charlotte's expression. Then, looking at Carl, who stood out so remarkably in the field, she immediately clenched her teeth.

"Damn filthy man..."

she cursed inwardly.

If she had not had that inexplicable encounter with Carl before, why would she be acting so strangely now? Even in her dreams, she would remember Carl's smile?

Sol Marron was unusually irritable.

As someone who despised men to an extreme degree, she absolutely would not allow a "filthy" man to appear even in her dreams.

What was more, this guy seemed to have affected her older sister, Charlotte.

Sol Marron shot Charlotte a meaningful look.

The next moment, while Charlotte wore a baffled expression, Sol Marron shouted:

"Let me test what he's capable of!"

"Earth Creation Magic—Earthquake River!"

In an instant, huge waves of earth and stone surged up from the surrounding ground.

As vice-captain, she naturally possessed considerable strength. The stones on the ground seemed to come alive, transforming into enormous rivers of earth and rock that continuously churned forward.

The terrifying momentum made it seem as if a giant dragon beneath the earth had turned over, lunging straight toward Carl.

Charlotte nearly cried out in shock.

Covering her mouth, she looked at Sol Marron in disbelief.

Wait...

Was that what she had meant by giving her that look earlier?

Was she trying to kill Carl?!

At that moment, Charlotte truly found herself in a difficult position.

She had merely been considering whether to recruit Carl into the Blue Rose Knights, or rather, how she could recruit him without affecting her image.

After all, she was an exceedingly aloof and proud queen.

Yet she had never expected Sol Marron to attack directly.

What if Carl got hurt?

Charlotte's face was full of conflict.

However, Sol Marron's actions naturally caught Carl's attention as well.

Carl immediately smiled faintly.

The next moment, he became incomparably excited, his gaze toward Sol Marron brimming with fighting spirit.

Perfect. His strength had only just advanced, and he wanted to test how powerful he had become.

Although Sol Marron's attack looked exaggerated and had even frightened the other applicants nearby, it was obvious that she had not used her full strength.

Carl suddenly let out a roar, the aura around him continuously surging.

Endless magic power poured forth from his acupoints.

"Eight Gates—Second Gate, Gate of Rest, open!"

As his aura erupted,

Boom!

A nearly colorless wave of air burst from Carl's body, surging outward like a tide and enveloping him.

At that very moment, Carl threw a fierce punch downward.

A massive phantom fist directly blasted the earth and stones from the ground.

Rumble—!

The stones collided head-on with the Earth Dragon. After a deafening explosion, an enormous crater instantly opened in the center of the ground.

Everyone around them was completely dumbfounded.

Wait...

Was this reasonable?

This was supposed to be an examination, just sparring with one another and displaying their abilities. How had it turned into a direct confrontation with the vice-captain once it reached a monster like Carl?

And that strike just now had actually seemed evenly matched.

The crowd was not particularly strong to begin with, so when they saw the result of Sol Marron's probing attack colliding head-on with Carl, they were naturally stunned beyond measure.

Sol Marron had not expected that she had merely wanted to give Carl a warning.

Yet Carl had received it so easily, without even using his Grimoire.

Now, she found herself in an awkward position instead.

She cast Carl a somewhat unwilling glance.

When Sol Marron saw his face, she seemed to recall yesterday's scene again, and her heart began pounding wildly.

She could even clearly hear her own heartbeat and the sound of blood flowing through her veins.

Her face slightly flushed, Sol Marron suddenly shouted and prepared to attack again.

Charlotte stood nearby, unable to decide whether she should stop her or not, her entire body frozen stiff.

Just then—

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Sol Marron in an instant. His aura alone forced her back several steps.

Sol Marron had just been about to attack.

Then she saw Yami Sukehiro standing lazily between the two of them.